How to grow leadership skills

Great leaders are not born, they are made. What makes a good leader? In this article, we will hopefully explain what makes a strong leader and how you can develop strong leadership skills within your business, for fantastic results in New Year.

Who comes to mind when you think of a strong leader? We all have someone who has inspired us politically in commerce, on television, radio or perhaps memories of a teacher that really resonated with you. For many in business, famous business leaders are often admired, yet we know it takes more than flashy cars, expensive clothing, and a ruthless attitude to successfully lead a team to success in the business world.

Strong leaders have the ability to engage the people around them, whilst at the same time being a constant source of motivation. With the end goal not only having a successful thriving business but also, to have a company where the employees love their jobs and work with passion. Leaders are visionaries that inspire action to achieve the business’s mission.

So how does one go about developing the skill of becoming a strong leader? How do we harness Michelle Obama’s power to inspire all those that she reaches out to? How do we bottle some of Steve Job’s powers of persuasion? How do we motivate people to be as bold and daring as Richard Branson? Below we are going to go through the points that will enable you to develop strong leadership skills which you will be able to take into your business in this year.

Why strong leadership matters

One in five UK employees have resigned over a terrible boss or to escape poor management. It’s clearly important to any business that strong leaders are created throughout who engage with their employees. No matter the size, the success of your business depends on it! The managers that work within your business environment must develop their leadership skills in order for your employees to benefit from it.

These advantages range from boosting employee engagement, productivity and profits to lowering staff turnover. A whopping 91% of people within the workspace feel motivated to do their best work when they work alongside a strong leader who provides good support. That then leaves the question, how do we go about nurturing these vital leadership skills?

Create a culture where people want to learn

A large number of strong leaders care greatly about their teams learning and development and that’s for a good reason! 65% of workers agree that “training and development opportunities” are one of their top 3 reasons that keep them motivated. Strong leaders tap into the potential of their employees and help to increase their desires to learn and improve by accessing the right training.

Training your management team

Training doesn’t stop once you reach the higher floors of your career and it certainly shouldn’t mean that your management team can rest on their laurels from what they have already learned during their career! Whatever someone’s title, be it Office Manager, CFO, CEO or Superhero-in-Disguise – you can always push the boundaries to learn more.

It’s crucial for the people in these positions of influence to have access to the leadership training so that they can develop their own skills. This way they will be in the best position to support their team’s growth and unleash other’s potential. Allow your managers to lead by example so they can do what’s best for the business.

We learn from one another

90% of the information that we take in on a working day is taken from informal learning – that makes up a gigantic number compared to what we learn in formal training – from practicing new skills and observing what others do in the workplace. It’s so important to recognise an opportunity and some of the best leaders know that every opportunity, every conversation and every individual experience is another chance to learn. It’s so important that we learn in different social environments. Give your team the tools to share their knowledge with one another and lead each other towards success!

We should praise more often.

Richard Branson famously said, “…you have to be very good at praising and looking for the best in people. People are no different from flowers. If you water flowers, they flourish. If you praise people, they flourish. That’s a critical attribute of a leader”. It’s vital that we encourage our managers to praise their team’s efforts by offering incentives, surprise treats or even just a simple “well done”! Remember praise is not to be given just to the employees who have demonstrated outstanding work, 70% of employees say motivation and morale would improve ‘massively’ if managers simply said ‘thank you’ more frequently.

Clear Expectations

A large number of employees say that unrealistic expectations from their managers and bosses are at the top of the list that makes them the most stressed during their working days. Strong leaders make their employees jobs easier, not more stressful and difficult! They understand the importance of setting clear goals so that their team has a strong chance of achieving those goals. Your managers need to have the right training and tools so that they can make it clear to their teams on what is expected from them.

State your mission

It’s important that your employees at every level successfully engage with the business mission on a daily basis. Employees are far more engaged when they have a clear vision of the bigger picture. This connection with the company’s wider purpose will enable them to follow each manager’s instruction with a clear understanding of what it will mean in the future.

Know your team

Great leaders know every aspect of their team and how each individual works. They are aware of each individual’s weaknesses, but more importantly, they know each of their strengths which should be emphasised. Employees who believe their manager can name their strengths, are 71% more likely to be engaged at work.